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Humans are wired to think this:
If most believe something, it’s likely to be the truth. If most do something a certain way, it’s likely to be the best way.
It once was thought that the world was flat or the solar system revolved around the earth. You were laughed at if you believed otherwise. Yet both were proven incorrect but it took a long time and science to change those thoughts. Science makes you see the world in a way that goes beyond your intuition or of what you think. It's like a pair of glasses that when you put them on - everything is different. It challenges your knowledge and beliefs.
Knowledge vs. Information
From the Fundamentals of Biomechanics 2nd Edition 2007 – by Dr. Duane Knudson, Department of Kinesiology with permission.
“Knowledge is different from information. Knowledge is contextual and data-supported ideas that make the best current explanation for reality. Information is merely access to opinions or data, with no implied degree of accuracy.
Living in an information age, it is easy for people to become insensitive to the important distinction between information and knowledge. The most important difference is that information has a much higher chance of being incorrect than knowledge.
Information is merely access to opinions or data, with no implied degree of accuracy. Information is also much easier to access in the age of the internet and wireless communications. Do not confuse ease of access with accuracy or value. This distinction is clearer as you look at the hierarchy of the kinds of sources used for scholarly research and a simple strategy for the evaluation of the quality of a source.
There is a definite hierarchy of the scholarly or academic rigor of published research and writing. Although there are exceptions to most rules, it is generally true that the higher up a source on the hierarchy the better the chance that the information presented is closer to the current state of knowledge and the truth.”
“The job as coaches is to simplify and demystify. Many coaches tend to overcomplicate the game. Most coaches instruct (tell/ inform) what to do vs. teaching (educating why/ knowledge). The reason is - most coaches don't know the actual reason why. Coaches can't just regurgitate information - they have to gain that true knowledge and understanding first then they can teach and give the answer (knowledge) why. When coaches teach why - then it makes sense. Once it makes sense it demystifies and simplifies. Coaches have to actually understand physics and biomechanics to teach.”
I Was A Regurgitator
The first eight years of my 25+ years of coaching baseball I taught hitting the way I was taught - and it was wrong. Like most I was taught by coaches and other professionals who were not kinesiology, anatomy or science majors and didn’t know the real reasons either (and no fault of theirs). I just “regurgitated” the information assuming it was correct. Then in 2000 I read a simple article. It prompted me to do a little digging and I found several scholarly research articles that confirmed the theories and philosophies (not science) I was taught and was teaching were incorrect. About everything I thought I knew was wrong and it was tough. Science did it to me.
I felt terrible and embarrassed. Terrible for the players I thought I was helping. Embarrassed because I was teaching incorrectly.
Since then every day I challenge my beliefs from the previous day. I owe that to the players, assistant coaches, team,